Plumbing and Restoration: Dangers Of Hard Water

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When it comes to the personal health of you and your family, precautions must be taken. Many things that may seem completely harmless, even good for you can pose as an imminent threat to your well-being. The water coming out of your tap, for instance, can have harmful minerals in it. Not only can hard water harm your pipes, it can be hazardous to your health. Contact the professionals at All Star Plumbing & Restoration and we can install a water softener to keep you and your family healthy!

Soft water comes down in the form of rain and passes through rock and soil. It’s during this time where the water accumulates minerals and becomes hard water. Hard water contains minerals that, when taken in moderation, are good for you. Minerals like calcium and magnesium can keep your bones strong and help your body process fat and protein. When too much of these minerals enter your body however, you can be subject to fatigue, diarrhea, and stomach sickness. Hard water takes its strongest toll on those with preexisting conditions. Being overexposed to calcium or magnesium can dramatically worsen heart diseases and cardiovascular diseases.

Hard water also negatively affects your plumbing system and appliances. The minerals can stick to the insides of your pipes, causing rust and corrosion. This could force you to repipe your entire home. They can also leave white stains on your faucets and stainless steel appliances that may be difficult or impossible to remove after if left for a certain amount of time. Over time, this could leave you with costly damages to your piping system and force you to waste money on countless detergents to clean the muck hard water leaves on your dishes. When hard water is run through your household, it can also greatly shorten the life of your clothes and leave your skin dry and itchy after a shower or bath. These minerals prevent most soaps and detergents from working correctly, so chances are it would make cleaning things much more difficult as well.

The most common solution to hard water is a water softener. Water softeners are appliances that use simple chemistry to replace the calcium and magnesium with sodium. Inside a water softener are polystyrene beads. Because the elements of magnesium and calcium both have a positive charge, they cling to the beads when they pass through a water softener. This replaces the sodium ions that were clinging to the beads because they have a stronger positive charge than sodium does. Once the phase is over, the excess brine is flushed and the water softener then repeats the process. The most common type of water softener uses a timed re-generator to flush and recharge the system entirely at certain points in the softeners cycle.

Hard water poses dangers to your piping system, wardrobe, and your free time as it makes dishes and significantly harder to clean. Most importantly, hard water affects your health and can leave you feeling ill. A water softener is an easy solution to a tough problem. If you fear you may have hard water, contact All Star Plumbing & Restoration water softener services and we can assess your water composition and install a water softener if needed. Don’t let hard water effect the health of you or your family when a simple fix is all you need for clean and harmless water!